Saturday, 29 October 2011

This
week, after yet ANOTHER hospital procedure on Tuesday, we went to Hastings on
Wednesday for a little rest and recuperation. I ought to use the word 'rest'
advisedly as we walked miles!

We
visited Batemans on the way down. The house was stunning
and the setting was very peaceful. However I do wish some parents would realise
how adversely the behaviour of their children affects others. I am less mobile
than I was, and find children running in confined places (and I might add
running, where it was expressly forbidden) unsettling. The running about where
not allowed continued as a theme all through my break!

After
Batemans, we continued down to Hasting via Bexhill on Sea, (mostly closed) and
St Leonards (also mostly closed). I had never been to Hastings before. It must
have been glorious in its heyday when all the large properties along the Sea Front
were all shiny and prosperous. Old Hastings is fascinating with all the
creosoted wooden fishermen's net huts. They were very atmospheric as it got
darker before sunset.

Photo from BBC

We had a delicious evening
meal at the Trattoria Italiana It was some of the best
Italian food I have eaten outside Italy. Super friendly service too.

The next day, we went first
to Winchelsea. This is an amazing town (the size of a small village) built on a
grid pattern. It is quiet and very pretty indeed. We enjoyed tea and cake in a
teashop that was warm and welcoming. Later, we explored around Rye and Romney
Marsh. We went out to Dungeness where Mr G climbed the Lighthouse. I don't do
high, so I kept warm in the car. The wind and rain rendered a bleak place even
more so. The weather improved in the afternoon so we went into Rye. We found a
little cafe that served doorstep toasties, we both had cheese and onion - they
were fab.

We travelled home on Friday
via the The
Historic Dockyard, Chatham. This was amazing. The Ropery
guided tour was enthralling. We then got to see the Master Ropemakers at work
in the longest brick building I've ever seen. I could not see the ends even
when in the middle! Mr G enjoyed the Submarine visit and the steep ladder
access bits of HMS Cavalier (a destroyer) and HMS Gannet (a sloop). I enjoyed
the level bits! The historic Lifeboat Exhibition was really good with a varying
height walkway that meant I could easily have fear free access to all the
boats. This visit was marred by unchecked 'running about'.

I do apologise if I
am coming across as a grumpy old woman, but my own children were never allowed
to run about spoiling things for other people. If they did not stop
misbehaving, we went home, this soon stopped the problem.

These few days away have
been a much needed break for both of us. Thanks to a big refund from British
Gas (I told them we were paying too much!) we were able to have lots of treats
too. I feel less stressed and better able to face returning to work. Now I'm looking
forward to my I'm Alive and Nearly 55 Party next Saturday

Monday, 24 October 2011

Being the sort of man he was, he immediately had an idea.
An idea close to his
heart.

He laboured, he drew, he tore, he layered, he squelched, he squeezed, he
moulded, he refined, he painted, he rested, he tore, he layered, he squelched, he squeezed, he painted and he
rested again. He made a sculpture that spoke to his heart.
Carefully, he carried that which amounted to his life’s work, to his heart’s
desire.
She unwrapped his gift.

Monday, 10 October 2011

He thoughtfully turned the can
opener. All he had found was one tin of soup in the cupboard. That will change,
he mused, eventually. He poured the soup into a pan, set it on the small gas burner.
Humming gently, he busied himself with knife and board. The scent of warming
soup began to fill the room like unseen anticipation.. When he was satisfied
all was well, he carefully finished his task.

“Oh”, she cried, “Yes, yes, I will”.
She flung her arms around him

She was amazed, surprised and delighted
he had proposed using the can of Alphabet soup.

I read this blog recently and it got me thinking. Is the tech I use like a toaster? How much knowledge and training do I have that I use like second nature?

I'm 54, and consider myself quite 'tech' savvy. I believe this stems partly from undertaking distance learning in the early 1990's. I was training as a Lay Minister and used the family computer to write essays and conduct research. We were connected to the Internet via dial-up. I became adept at reformatting the hard drive as my family invited viruses in via music downloading and games. I could achieve this in a day - it was reinstalling all the software that took time. We graduated, in time, to a better computer, a more reliable operating system, and broadband. When I set up home for myself in 2006, I had a desk top PC and a notebook. I must admit I needed my son to set up my wireless for me, but in my defence it was because my ISP would not support my router! As time has passed, I equipped my home with freeview (easy peasy), games consoles etc. I have an ipod (damn you itunes), a Nintendo DS and a basic mobile phone. I have not bothered with a smart phone - I don't really need one. Mr G and I currently have a laptop each and have a desk top pc too. The processor was too slow in my notebook and it had insufficient RAM for my needs so it went to laptop heaven about two years ago.
At work, I have a laptop. This connects to a Smart Interactive White Board (IWB). I am not as good at using this as I would like, this is largely because I don't have time just to play on it. We have access to visualisers, and the school owns 3 Wii consoles. I have used the Wii's a lot - having one at home helps.
I have toyed with the idea of owning an ipad and/or a Kindle. We own a Sony Reader, so don't need a Kindle really and I'm not convinced by an ipad, largely due to the high cost. I've heard that the Kindle is being reworked as a tablet, this may interest me more.

I guess all this proves that I am interested in things technological. I would be very interested to know how many other women of my generation are using these tools daily as I do. I know my contacts on Twitter, Google+, and facebook must be using tech as otherwise they would not be in these online communities.
I probably will not get an answer to my question via this blog. Personally I feel my life is enriched by my use of tech and my interaction with online communities. I love online shopping. I adore seeing my granddaughter's antics on video. I like the immediacy of email. I do know that there are those who are fearful both of tech and the perceived danger on 'online life'. Referring back to the blog above - maybe we need to explain that toasters and washing machines contain many similar parts to computers (they are just in a different order and do a different job). All my gadgets, gizmo's and computermabobs are not dangerous in themselves. I protect myself online by not responding to dodgy requests from people I don't know - just like in real life. I take care to keep private things private - as I do in real life. Many new computer based products are being offered as having intuitive operating systems, as they can still baffle me, perhaps not intuitive the way I am. The next step must be the development of a better type of bluetooth that removes the need for wires and connectors. To be truly 'toaster' functional, we need to be able to press a button, add a passcode and be able to move 'stuff' from one device to another easily.
However, despite my love of tech, I still prefer a paper and print book. I use a fountain pen daily. I still like mooching around and purchasing things in shops.
I like to think I've got the best of 21st century living with the bits I love from the past.

Monday, 3 October 2011

She crept silently around the
building, trapped by the unseasonal weather. Hunger burned deep in her belly,
and tantalising odours drew her closer to danger. Her normal behaviour was
transformed by desperation. She was taking greater and greater risks to try to
assuage the dreadful gnawing pain, still she remained trapped.

Her massive head lifted, the air
heralded a change. She turned and sniffed again.

All day and all night she
travelled, impervious to distraction. Breasting the ridge, she saw she had
reached her goal.

There before her, stretched miles
of sea ice and the chance of food at last.